The market for tailored suits - Italy (2024)

1.2 The global market

The men's clothing market has been growing strongly in recent years, with global sales of about *** billion euros. One of the fastest-growing segments of that market is that inherent in luxury clothing, and men'sbespokeis also booming. There is this new trend developing on the part of men to prefer customized clothing, and millennials, individuals between the ages of ** and **, are giving a strong boost to demand. These are driven by the unique shopping experience typical of these products. There is in fact on the one hand the search for luxury and exclusivity, and on the other hand there is a new way of conceiving authentic elegance dictated by the customization of the garment (***).[***].

The broader men's garment market recorded revenues of about US$**.** billion in **** and expects the market to grow at a CAGR of *.**% between **** and **** reaching revenues of about **.** billion.

Europe is the world's largest market for men's suits with revenues accounting for **.** percent of the total. North America follows closely with a market share of **.**% in ****.

However, the Covid-** pandemic could have a lasting impact on the market by directly affecting production and demand, weakening supply chains and threatening the stability of companies in the industry. For the ...

1.3 The Italian market

Haute couture is a tradition of excellence in Italy. In the world, tailoring made in Italy is unrivaled except for that of British tradition. In Italy, companies engaged in the production of made-to-measure clothing fall under the ATECO code"**.**.** Tailoring and Tailoring of Outerwear."Within this code are :

custom tailoring made-to-measure tailoring of wedding, formal, and evening dressesExcluded from this class, however, are: manufacture of fur clothing articles (***), see **.** manufacture of rubber or plastic articles of clothing made not by sewing the various elements together but by sealing them, see **.**, **.** manufacture of fireproof and safety clothing, see **.** alterations and repairs of articles of clothing, see **.**

The latest data available on the ISTAT website, the national statistics institute, shows data through ****. According to the body, the market has been at least stable in turnover for the past ** years, and the same goes for production value, with a peak in values in ****. As we can see production value and turnover have somewhat similar values over the years, this indicates a low value of inventories and an immediate sale of all clothes produced.

Turnover and value of production enterprises in the tailoring and made-to-measure clothing sector Italy, **** - ****, in billion euros Source: ****

1.4 Italy, a net exporter of tailored suits

For the analysis of international trade in tailored suits, data were taken from code"**.**"of the UN COMTRADE database, which reports the export and import data of countries by product class. As for Italy, we can see that this is a strong exporter of tailored suits. In ****, exports totaled $**.* million against an import value of *.** million. However, the value of exports has been declining sharply; the past * years have seen an **% reduction in value.

The coverage rate, calculated as the ratio of exports to imports, confirms the above. If the value of the rate is less than ***, it means that exports do not fully "cover" imports and thus a trade deficit is generated. In the case of tailored suits, except for ****, there were values of *** or more, indicating a strong trade surplus in the sector.

Export and import value, tailored suits Italy, **** - ****, in millions of USD Source: ****

As for exports, in ****, the main trading partners were France and the US with export values of *.* and *.* million USD, respectively. They were followed by Germany with *.* million and Belgium with *.* million.

Main Countries of Destination of Tailored Suit Exports Italy, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

As for imports, the main trading partners ...

1.5

2.1 Italians and buying habits in the fashion industry

Italian tailoring is one of the artisan sectors that has made Made in Italy famous throughout the world and has always played a major role in the purchasing choices of Italian consumers. In the early ****s, however, with the emergence of ready-to-wear, ready-made clothes, sold in standardized sizes, began to gain great popularity. By mass producing, in fact, production and labor costs are significantly lower, and the customer can buy a garment at a very competitive price. Over the years, however, consumers have realized the quality of sartorially made clothes, and they have slowly begun to prefer Italian tailors again.

Italians love to buy new clothing; they lead Europe in per capita spending on clothing: * in * say they like to shop, at least once a month, especially for clothing (***), price and performance-factors that weigh more than **%.

As mentioned then Italians prefer quality clothing and are willing to pay a premium price to have quality and customized clothing.

A study analyzed what quality means to Italians and found that for them a garment is of quality if it is "well made" (***). "Style" is mentioned in only **% of cases as an element of quality. Garments made of natural fibers are synonymous with quality, ...

2.2 The influence of smart-working on demand

The industry has then also been affected by the development of increasingly informal styles in work environments. In workplaces, we dress more and more informally: T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers, and sweatpants, as casual fashion, streetwear(***) want.

On the one hand, our idea of elegance has changed, and on the other, the rules of how to dress in certain workplaces have changed. Startups have also played an important role in the social deconstruction of costume. The arrival on the media scene of successful entrepreneurs dressed in plain clothes such as Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg gave rise to a whole generation of "startuppers" convinced that wearing a suit does not guarantee the quality of work but, on the contrary, compliance with established rules and lack of innovation. [***]

This trend was further accentuated by the advent of smart-working during the confinement from mid-March to the end of May ****. Behind the computers, the consensus among telecommuters on wearing overalls has been rapid. This is a global trend, and it is confirmed by available data on the U.S. market. According to the Euromonitor research institute, from **** to ****, sales of men's suits fell from $*.* billion to $*.* billion (***). In the UK, only * in ** men wear suits ...

2.3 Demand driven by Generation Y

Paradoxically, despite the end of the era of the mandatory suit, Generation Y pays close attention to its dress code. Generations born between **** and **** were marked by the tailored suits of the characters Harvey Specter in Suits and Don Draper in Mad Men . There is a real desire to be well dressed in the workplace. However, this desire has traditionally run up against the high prices charged in the bespoke industry, which do not fit the disposable income of young executives. In recent years, however, brands such as Atelier NA and Tailor Corner have responded to this demand by offering tailored suits at prices comparable to ready-to-wear and with short lead times to meet the demands of a generation of men in a hurry.

According to the Lanieri Fashion Tech Insights **** survey, as many as * out of ** Italians have bought custom or made-to-measure clothing and accessories online in the past year. And among them, ** percent belong to Generation Y. What drives them to buy custom-made clothes is the desire to own something unique, and -as the survey shows- there are those who are willing to spend even ** percent more in order to have a unique, custom-made garment. In general, one in ...

3.1 A fragmented industry

The sector appears to be particularly fragmented. As shown in the graph below, the number of enterprises operating under the ATECO code"**.**.** Tailoring and Tailoring of Made-to-Measure Clothing"was found to be **** as of ****. The number of enterprises operating in the sector has remained constant over the years, in **** there were **** enterprises in the sector.

Despite high competition, enterprises in the sector have managed to endure and differentiate themselves from each other. In this market, no single enterprise has a significant market share, and larger enterprises are at a competitive disadvantage compared to smaller rivals who, by virtue of greater operational flexibility, can move concentrate and adapt relatively easily in those "fragments" of the market where they can exploit their relative competitive advantages. Indeed, when the possibilities for differentiation both in terms of products and customer segments are many and constantly changing, each firm can position itself, at least for a certain period of time, in a "niche," that is, in a fragment of the market, thus avoiding a direct, head-on clash with competing firms.

Most companies operating in the sector operate with a legal form of "sole proprietor, freelancer or self-employed." In ****, ** percent of active companies had this legal form ...

3.2

3.3 Lanieri and the development of e-commerce of tailored suits

Even the custom-made suit industry has not remained indifferent to the boom in e-commerce. In fact, despite the fact that one might think it might be difficult to develop a tailored suit entirely online, there are several start-ups that have managed to profitably enter this niche market.

Leading that digital transformation are once again millennials. According to a survey reposted by La Stampa, **% of Millennials -- compared to *% of those over ** -- prefer online customization services because they save time and money compared to buying in a physical store. In addition, **% of the youngest are willing to wait longer to have their custom garment ordered online, a preference indicated instead by only *% of the older cluster.

The growth of the phenomenon, which will continue in the coming years, has already produced the first findings: according to the survey as many as * out of ** Italians-with a slight prevalence in the male (***)-have bought customized or made-to-measure clothing and accessories online in the past year; these include **% of Millennials, **% of the **-** year-old sample, and **% of the over-**s.

Lanieri, a start-up founded in ****, is the first ***% Italian e-commerce dedicated to men's fashion capable of offering a made-to-measure service entirely online. It has ...

3.4

4.1 The different types of clothes

We can distinguish between three different types of dresses :

Ready-to-wear dresses

These are sold ready-made, that is, in a shape and style determined by the designer who has worked with standard sizes. Each dress in size is then made according to a generic, predetermined pattern, divided by size, and is made by machines.

Very few manufacturers make so-called off-the-rack (***) dresses by hand or by sewing machines. Each manufacturer and each nation also has its own system for measuring and identifying sizes, making it difficult to compare dresses from different manufacturers or nations.

Ready-to-wear dresses are often the cheapest, and most of these dresses are not inteled, that is, they do not have the cloth between the fabric and the lining, but provide for these two parts to be glued together. This method saves time and money but deprives the jacket of support and structure.

Although suits in sizes come in many patterns and styles, when you buy one it is almost always necessary to alter it, at least in terms of sleeve and trouser length. For this reason, one should always keep in mind that money for various alterations will have to be added to the price of any size dress. ...

4.2 Examples of tailored suit prices

Custom-made suits have very different prices and it is difficult to estimate market prices as the price varies according to several variables. In fact, a custom-made suit can cost from ***€ to even over ***€. Several elements contribute to defining the price.

One of the primary elements of a suit is certainly the fabric from which it is made. The price of this depends on the raw material (***) and the value of the textile brand.

Another important aspect is then the manpower.A highly specialized workforce, with work rhythms appropriate to the times of fine workmanship, undoubtedly has a cost that goes into the final price, but it also makes it possible to obtain a quality made-to-measure garment that is capable of lasting over time.The way a made-to-measure garment is made varies from brand to brand and from country to country. The Italian tailoring tradition, for example, unravels among small sartorial ateliers and artisan workshops scattered across the Boot, each with its own specific know-how passed down through generations. Making a jacket, for example, requires up to *** steps. these include patching the pockets, basting the cloth, lining, topstitching, basting the epaulettes, breaking up the lapels, ironing each step, pegging and assembling.Added ...

4.3

5.1 Regulation

The figure of the Tailor is regulated in the Italian legal system and is defined as : the professional figure who intervenes in all the processing stages necessary for the creation of a garment. His or her activity is highly articulated and includes assisting the client in choosing the pattern and materials, preparing the pattern and cutting the fabric, measuring tests and necessary alterations, sewing, finishing and ironing. A distinction is often made in practice between women's tailor and men's tailor.There are no binding formal prerequisites; entry to the profession is generally by apprenticeship. Because of the importance of experience, starting out is often linked to an apprenticeship in established tailoring workshops or, in companies, as assistants to more experienced colleagues. Having participated in vocational training facilitates access to skilled labor. The figure is then regulated, like an artisan entrepreneur, by :

Regional Law No. **/**** Organic regulation of craftsmanship o Framework law on craftsmanship n.***/**** d.Lgs.**/****(***)

Dealing with tailored clothing and the legislation applicable to the subject, it is necessary to introduce and understand the law governing the labeling process of textile products. The labeling and presentation of textile products is regulated by EU Regulation No. ****/****. Specifically, the term "textile products" ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Brioni
• Sartoria Latorre
• Lanieri
• Gaetano Aloisio & Co